411’s WWE Royal Rumble Report 01.19.03

WWE Royal Rumble 2003 Report
Announcers are JR/King, Cole/Tazz
Live from Boston
Report by Wids

The Big Show w/Paul Heyman vs. Brock Lesnar
Brock does some belly to bellys. On the third try, Big Show powers out. Back and forth, Brock with a German and covers Show for 2. Big Show powers back, tries a chokeslam, but Brock rebounds and hits a fairly weak F5 for the clean pin.
Winner: Brock

Terri interviews Jericho about him choosing #2.

World Tag Team Titles
Dudley Boys vs. Lance Storm and William Regal (c)
Bubba and Lance Storm start up. Tags all around and Dvon controls. Heels take control and beatdown Dvon. Storm slows it down with a sleeper. Hot tag to Bubba Ray and he clears house. Bubba Bomb. Bubba and Dvon do the wassup headbutt combo. Double flapjack on Lance Storm. Chief Morley is down for some reason. 3D on Regal, ref distracted. Bubba then uses the power of the punch on Lance Storm and Dvon covers. The ref is back.
Winners and NEW champs: Dudleys

Nathan Jones video package.

Dawn Marie/Torrie Wilson/Al video package.

Dawn Marie Wilson vs. Torrie Wilson
Dawn has a black veil over her face with her bikini-like outfit. Yup, she was actually introduced as that. Dawn in black and Torrie in white. Decent mat wrestling for what it is thusfar. Torrie with a swinging neckbreaker on Dawn and gets the pin.
Winner: Torrie

Eric Bischoff talks to Randy Orton and Stephanie comes over. They banter about the 30 day. Steph has a bombshell announcement for Thursday.

Sean O’Haire with some kind of weird video package. He is against the church?

HHH/Steiner

World Title
Triple H (c) w/Ric Flair vs. Scott Steiner
Big pop for Steiner. Back and forth punching. Steiner beats down HHH into the corner. Brawling moves to the floor. Back into the ring and Steiner covers for 2. Steiner locks in a sharpshooter or boston crab type move. Steiner sets up for the Recliner, but Flair pulls HHH to the floor. HHH back in and he controls with a methodical beatdown. Steiner with a release northern lights suplex. Both are using the ropes to get up. Steiner gets HHH up for a tombstone, HHH floats through, then HHH hits a neckbreaker. Steiner catches HHH from the top rope, kinda, and does a belly to belly. More belly to bellys. Steiner controls. Cover for 2. Flair and HHH go to leave, and Steiner breaks it up. Steiner beats on HHH and he is busted open on the forehead. Brawling from the aisle back into the ring. HHH escapes into the crowd, and Steiner follows and brings him back into the ring. Steiner does pushups in front of the bloody HHH. HHH and Hebner argue. Flair distracts the ref and Steiner stops the beating to yell at Flair. Then HHH with a low blow kick. HHH gets a sledge hammer and hits Steiner and the ref calls for the bell.
Winner by DQ: Steiner

Steiner clears house on HHH and Flair after the match. Steiner puts HHH in the Steiner Recliner. Bischoff comes down and tries to plead with Steiner to break the hold. Steiner listens to Bischoff.

WWE Title
Kurt Angle (c) w/Paul Heyman and Team Angle vs. Chris Benoit
Ref ejects Team Angle. Back and forth stuff for a bit. Angle takes early control, but Benoit rebounds. Benoit floats out of an Angle Slam and into a sharpshooter. Angle gets out of it and hits a belly to belly. Action continues. Angle with a headlock on the mat from behind. Benoit and Angle both down. Benoit up first, and goes into the Germans. Hits 1. and 2. Angle with a standing switch and he hits a German. Benoit switches and hits his third. SNOT ROCKET. Benoit up top, and Angle bolts up top for a belly to belly superplex. Angle Slam countered into the Crossface and Angle is fighting. Angle hits the ropes, Benoit lets go, then regrabs an Ankle Lock. Angle fights, then counters into his own Ankle Lock. Benoit maneuvers out of the Lock into another Crossface and Angle is fighting. Benoit and Angle roll through and Angle hits the Angle Slam! Angle TAKES DOWN THE STRAPS and then gets another Ankle Lock. Benoit from behind wants a German, Angle reverses, Benoit reverses again and rolls up Angle for a close 2. Benoit with a German. Angle with a German. Benoit with a SICK release German suplex that flipped over Angle and had him land on his stomach. Benoit goes up top. Angle is far. SWEET swandive headbutt. Benoit rolls on top of Angle after a rest, but Angle kicks out. Angle up and goes for a powerbomb, and instead continues backwards and drops Benoit facefirst on the corner turnbuckle. Angle Slam but Benoit kicks out. Benoit locks in the Crossface, Angle rolls it into the Ankle Lock. Benoit fights and fights. Angle shifts focus the leg lock onto the mat and Benoit taps!
Winner and STILL champ: Angle

Benoit finally gets up, and the crowd gives him a standing ovation for his effort.

RVD stretches backstage and talks to Kane about how the Rumble is every man for himself.

Royal Rumble
HBK is #1. Chris Jericho is #2. Or maybe not. Christian comes out to Jericho’s music, and Jericho attacked from behind. Jericho all over Christian. Jericho goes to the floor and grabs a chair. HBK takes a MANLY chairshot. #3 is Chris Nowinski and he runs down, then stops before getting into the ring and lets them continue to fight. HBK is bleeding. Jericho just eliminates HBK. Wow. Nowinski still on the floor as #4 Rey comes out. Rey with some springboards and takes down Jericho. Take THAT for making me lose my mask in WCW. Nowinski still pacing on the floor. Jericho almost eliminates Rey who hangs onto the ringpost and comes back in. Finally Nowinski is into the ring for the beatdown on Rey and #5 is Edge. Rey and Edge go to shake hands, and then simultaneously kick each other. Edge goes to spear Rey, and misses. They go at it. Rey and Edge fly over the top, and Edge’s one foot hits the ground before they both pull up before they get eliminated. Christian comes out and strangely hugs his brother and says they should attack Rey. Jericho and Nowinski both are on the floor. Edge spears Christian. Nowinski comes back in and tries to eliminate both Rey and Edge, but they hang on, and then hit a double top rope move on Harvard, a combo missile dropkick by Rey and a weird legdrop by Edge. Chavo is #7. Chavo jumps through the ropes and flips into the ring. Rey and Chavo go at it, 6-1-9 and then a butt bomb. 619 on Christian. Rey jumps onto Nowinski, then Chris goes to powerbomb him out, and Rey kind rana’s him out. Then with his back turned, Jericho eliminates Rey out of no where. Edge, Jericho, Christian and Chavo are left. #8 is Tajiri. Some dangerous kicks take out Jericho and then Christian. Chavo intercepts and hits a belly to back. Airplane spin by Tajiri. Match slows a bit for #9, Bill Demott. He takes down Chavo and some others. Demott tries to eliminate Jericho who hooks back under the bottom rope. #10 is Tommy Dreamer and he has a trashcan full of plunder. Dreamer goes crazy with a KENDO STICK. Edge has a stick and he beats Demott out of the ring. Chris’s use some trash lids on Dreamer. And toss him. Tajiri puts Jericho in the Tarantula, and Jericho just tosses Tajiri out of the ring. #11 is Bling Bling Buchanon.

After some crappy offense, B2 is eliminated right away. Chavo hangs onto the top rope, and Edge spears him out of the ring. Edge goes to eliminate Jericho, who hangs on for dear life. Edge and Christian tangle near the ropes, Jericho climbs back in and eliminates both. Jericho is left alone. #12 is RVD. Big chant for RVD. RVD with a flipping legdrop and a Rolling Thunder. RVD with a catapult on Jericho, and Jericho gets back under the bottom rope. #13 is Matt Hardy. “Matt Strongly Dislikes Mustard”. Matt with a cool Rock Bottom type move on RVD. Matt and Jericho double team RVD. Shannon Moore came down with Matt and roots on Hardy from the floor. RVD flips over Jericho and attacks Matt. RVD Jericho with a missed Lionsault on RVD. Five star on Jericho, and Matt over and tosses RVD, who hangs onto the top rope. #14 is Eddie. Goes to work on RVD with Matt, but then Eddie attacks Matt too. RVD goes for a monkeyflip on Eddie and hits it. Matt with a bodyslam, and then a frogsplash to the FACE of RVD. Then Matt hits a Twist of Fate on Eddie. #15 is Jeff Hardy. Matt standing over a fallen Eddie, RVD and Jericho and pleads with Jeff, who will have none of it. Jeff attacks. Jawbrekaer. Jeff goes to eliminate Matt, and Shannon Moore runs over and goes on his back, and sticks his legs up and holds up Matt as he climbs back into the ring. Jeff hits a Twist of Fate on Matt and goes up top. Shannon pleads with Jeff not to do the swanton, and Jeff swantons onto both. Eddie with a dropkick, and #16 is Rosey. Match slows down a bit. #17 is Test. Nice pop from the Testicles. Test with some nice offense to start. Pumphandle on Matt. #18 is C-Note. He raps a walking entrance and the match continues. RVD goes to the floor and grabs Cena and brings him back into the ring. Ross puts him over. #19 is Charlie Haas. Jeff goes up top like an idiot and RVD tosses him. Eddie with a cool UT-style top rope walk into a rana on Jericho. #20 is Rikishi. Ross says that Rikishi has been in more Rumbles than anyone else in history. Rosey and Rikishi share a Samoan Bond. Rosey later attacks Rikishi. #21 is Jamal.

Jamal and Rosey go after Rikishi, who eventually rebounds and Stinkfaces someone. #22 is Kane. Kane starts beating on people. Go after fat Samoans! Not Jericho! Not Cena. No one eliminated yet. Kane eliminates Rosey!! Chokeslam on Matt and Shannon Moore at the same time. Kane almost eliminates Jericho. Shelton Benjamin is #23. Lots of near eliminations but nothing too notable. Can You Dig It, Sucka!?! #24 is Booka T. Booker T beats on Kane and Matt Hardy and gives us a Spinaroonie. Eliminates Eddie! Booker T goes after Rikishi. More action. #25 is A-Train. Baldo Bomb on Cena. Shoulder breaker on Shelton. Bomb on RVD. Rikishi takes him out. Rikishi goes to dump Jericho, who fights it off. Go Jericho Go! Uh oh, HBK runs out in the crowded ring and goes after Jericho, who is defended by Cena and Matt. In the chaos, Test tosses Jericho! Boo! HBK flies from the ring onto Jericho and he just beats the hell out of Jericho before refs separate them. Maven is #26. Kane beats up Maven. #27 is Goldust. Nice pop! Goldust with some offense. For a bit, and then assimilates into the match. Team Angle eliminates Goldust. Then they eliminate Booker T. #28 is Batista. He comes down to no reaction and gets involved. Ring is pretty filled up for Brock and the Smackdown mystery, presumably Undertaker. Batista eliminates Rikishi. #29 is Brock. Brock comes down and Team Angle goes to work on him. Brock eliminates both of them. F5 for Matt out of the ring onto Team Angle! A Train and Batista double team Brock. Match slows down for #30. Who is. The Undertaker. HUGE POP for Taker. Oh goody he comes down on the motorcycle. Cena goes after him, and he goes to work on everyone. Cena is out by Taker. Taker takes out Jamal. Maven pops up and Taker grabs him! Chokeslam on Maven. Taker tosses Maven getting revenge for last year. A Train from behind gives him a Baldo Bomb. Kane chokeslams Brock!! Cool reverse enziguri by Albert. Albert goes to powerbomb Kane and RVD breaks it up. They eliminate A Train together. Kane goes to bodyslam Kane onto Batista, but instead takes RVD and tosses him out! Crowd is stunned at that. Batista takes down Kane. Final four is Taker, Brock, Kane, Batista. Face to face, but Batista takes out Taker and Kane goes to work on Brock. Great F5 on Kane. Taker takes down Batista and its Taker/Brock again. They go toe to toe. Big boot to the face by Taker. F5 attempt, Taker floats out and grabs Brock for a tombstone. And hits it! Taker gets up and eliminates Batista. Taker and Kane shake hands. Taker then eliminates Kane with his back turned. Batista comes back in with a chair, and with his back turned, Brock eliminates Taker.
Winner: Brock

After the match, Taker comes back into the ring and slaps his hands. Then points at Brock and does the TITLE BELT AROUND MY WAIST thing!! Taker exits and Brock celebrates.